The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-07
INCINERATED.
Dominick Steinbauer's Body Reduced
to Ashes.

w AoI1CSs
From, the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The first thorough test of the workings of
the new Cincinnati Crematory was made
yesterday with the body of Dominick Stein
bauer, who was burned to death in Gerke's
Brewery on last Tuesday. The wife of the
unfortunate man is DESTROYS of returning to
her home in Switzerland and wanted to take
her husbands body with her. The cost of
transportation is too heavy and so she con-
cluded to have the corpse cremated. Mrs.
Steinbaeur applied to the officials of the Gre
matory and, although the institution is not
yet completed, they agreed to accommodate
the woman, who said she would take her
husbands ashes across the ocean ito their
former home. The incineration was set for
o'clock yesterday afternoon. 1t was in
tended to make the affair
AS PRIVATE AS POSSIBLE,
and only a few invitations to witness the
strange spectacle were sent out. However,
a crowd Of perhaps two hundred gathered
about the door of the building, but were not
permitted to enter until the ceremonies had
been concluded. Shortly after two o'clock
an undertaKer's wagon arrived at the Gre
matory, which is located on Dixmyth ave-
nue., Clifton. The body of the victim was
removed from the coffin in which it was in
cased and placed on an iron cradle carriage
A white sheet saturated in alum water en-
veloped the entire body. Mrs. Steinbauer,
attired in deep mourning, entered the build
ing, and present on the occasion were Mr.
Benin Pitman and several ladies, DR.. 7. c.
Minor, ex-Mayor Charles Jacob, MIR. Mein-
niger and most Of the officers of the society.
AT nine o'clock yesterday morning Mr.. r.
Conway, engineer Of the crematory, lighted
the fires and work of heating the retort be-
gan. He used coke and perfumed oil in
combination, which produced an intense
temperature The walls of the furnace were
so thick that no heat was radiated into the
rest of the building A window six feet
square discloses the upper part,,of the retort,
but the body cannot be seen. AT three
o'clock everything was in readiness and the
inanimate
WHITE-ROBED FIGURE
was rolled into the retort on the iron cradle
carriage. The spectators maintained pain
full silence, but in about two minutes a beau
tiful blue flame was seen in the retort. 1t
was caused by the burning of the alum sheet,
for the heat had reached 1900 degrees Fab
renheit. While the little company gazed in
awe mingled with admiration at the gor-
geous coloring, Mr.. Benn Pitman relieved.the
stiffness by few remarks. He said that
his wife's body was the first ever cremated
in this country. He told of the great preju-
dice against cremation existing then and
now, but he spoke glowingly of the advan-
tages of it, and predicted that the time
would come when Incarceration would be the
only means of disposing of the dead. Mr.
Pitman spoke for about five minutes In the
meanwhilea bright, red fame lighted up the
retort and the body was burning rapidly.
As the mica window at the front was above
the retort the spectators could not see the
body, but through the small mica window
in the rear where Engineer Conway was
standing, the process Of humiliation was
observed by two or three gentlemen. When
the remains were first put in the enshroude0
body looked like piece of white marble.
Then blue flame arose leaving a halo around
the corpse. 1t was
A WONDROUS SIGHT,
and not in the least revolving or narrowing
Then the figure seemed to be caught up in a
fire and glow like that of glorious sunset
pervaded the retort. Presently the flesh was
almost burned away and the skeleton was
visible for few minutes The bones were
very white and there was absence of the
ghastlipess which usually attaches to cadav-
ers i'll the medical colleges or i'll doctors
offices. 1t required some time to burn the
carbon out of the homes, but the form of the
man disappeared twenty minutes after being
placed in the fiery retort. The livid fire kept
up until the body was reduced to ashes. Then
IL
rounding her felt not the shock or feeling of
horror which follows the dropping of clods
of clay upon the coffin of the beloved dead.
Mrs. Steinbauer showed the grief she felt in
her face, but there were no means or walls
or cries. 1t was to most of those present a
surprising revelation of the advantages of
cremation. The little group at the rear
mica window, which was on a level with
the retort, watched the process of incinera-
homes fa6 lI1IlnrnaTAtI-
bly,, the ribs holding together longer than
any other part of the skeleton. The work
was accomplished in just one hour and
NOTHING BUT THE wHITENED ASHES
Of Dominick Steinbauer remained He
weighed at the time of his death $50 pounds
Owing to the extreme heat of the retort and
at the request of the widow, the ashes were
not removed last night. They will be taken
out to-day and turned over to Mrs. Stein
bauer. The incineration was an entire sue
cess and highly satisfactory to those who
witnessed it. When the cremation had been
finished about one hundred and fifty people
from the outside were admitted TO the build
ing. They inspected everything and gazed
curiously at the small heap of ashes in the
retort. The fires In the furnace were al
lowed to die out, but the retort will not be
cool before tonight. 1t isanoteworthy fact
that there was no odor arising from the body
ana no SOuflQ WndUeNeI Une burning
flesh The ladies who saw the novel specta-
Gle, among whom was Miss Pitman, declared
that their experience was not at all unpleas-
ant 1t didn't affect them with the same
sense of horror as standing by a grave in
the cemetery. One fault which has been
found against the crematory is it's inaccessi-
bility. 1t lis located on the top Of hill some
distance from the street car terminus, but
the directors hope to have fine driveways
made and induce the street car company to
extend its lines to within a short walk of the
building.
THE FURNACE OF THE cREMAToRY
is of the most improved pattern and the
body in no way comes in contact with the
fuel. AS soon as the arrangements are en-
tirely completed the board of directors will
give public exhibition Of the successful
operations of the institution. They were
not expecting such n crowd as was present
yesterday, and it was impossible 10 obey
strictly the request of Mrs. Steinbauer who
wished TO have only half a dozen present.
When the crematory is completed "A blower
will be used to remove the ashes into box,
which win not cause the delay and incon-
venence necessitated by waiting for the re-
tort to cool. II was stated that the crema-
tory directors paid the expenses of the in
cineration, but this is not true. Mrs.
Stein bauer paid the SOS fee Her husband,
who was IS years old, left an insurance of
81, 900 on his life for her benefit, and she
will have sufiicient funds To take her hack